Grilled beets in foil. Beets in foil are a simple side dish if you already have the grill fired up. They take a while to cook - about an hour - but they take almost no effort to get onto the grill. Drizzle beets with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and wrap them in heavy-duty foil with an herb sprig. Put the foil pouch on the side of the grill, and they will be ready in an hour. That's it! Slow roasting the beets turns them nutty and sweet, a vegetable side dish that even a beet-hater like me will eat.
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I have a confession to make: I fear beets. It is one of the few food phobias I have.* Whenever I think of beets, I think of the color and smell of canned beets. That horrifying, blood-red color and that tinny, sweet, off smell. Yuck.
My problem? My wife loves beets. When we'd go to the farmer's market, the beets would sit in their bunches, looking colorful and innocent. Diane would insist on getting some, and then it would be up to me to cook them.
This is one of the few downsides to being a Dad who Cooks Dinner. Sometimes, I have to buck up and cook the beets.
(OK, I confess. First, I tried to distract her with Brussels sprouts, her food phobia. She would not be denied.)
After a while, I realized that roasting beets results in a nutty-sweet vegetable that I…I…I kind of like. There, I said it. I'll eat beets. Especially these beets.
Ingredients
- 6 medium beets (between the size of a baseball and a golf ball)
- A sprig of fresh thyme (optional - you can substitute any fresh herbs you have on hand)
- 1 tablespoon of Olive oil
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
How to Make Grilled Beets in Foil
Prepare the Beets
Scrub the beets to remove any dirt that is still stuck to them. Trim the root and stem ends of the beets. (Leave the skin on, we'll peel it off later.) Put the beets in a line on a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (We want the sides of all the beets exposed to heat, so line the beets up in a single file. Make more than one packet of beets (if needed) to fit on your grill.) Add the thyme sprig, then fold the foil over and crimp the edges to cover the beets tightly.
Prepare the grill for indirect medium-high heat (350°F)
Set your grill up for indirect cooking at medium to high heat, about 350°F. For my Weber Summit, this means turning the two outer burners (burners 1 and 6) to high and leaving the middle burners unlit. In a charcoal grill, push the coals to one side (or use charcoal baskets).
Cook the Beets
Put the foil-wrapped beets over indirect heat (over the unlit burners or the side of the grill without coals). Cook with the lid closed until the largest beet can be pierced easily with a skewer, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the thickness of your beets. (I use the pointy end of my digital thermometer for this, and I poke right through the foil into one of the beets. I'm not checking the temperature; I'm checking that the probe pushes through the beet without any resistance.)
Clean and Serve the Beets
Remove the foil pouch from the grill and let it rest for 10 minutes to cool down. Open up the foil and peel the skin off of the beets using paper towels. (Wear gloves to keep your hands from staining with beet juice). Cut the beets into halves or quarters, depending on their size. Put the beets in a serving bowl; I'll drizzle them with a little more olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper over them before serving. Enjoy!
Equipment
- A Grill. This recipe will work on almost any grill if you have space to let the foil pouch sit for an hour. (I use a monster Weber Summit, so I have plenty of space. The Summit is overkill for this recipe, but I love it.)
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil
Variations
Cheesy beets
Beets and cheese are a classic combination. Beets stand up to intense flavors, so I like to sprinkle them with crumbled blue cheese, goat cheese, or feta cheese right before serving.
Tips and tricks
Beet Juice Stains
Beet juice stains everything it comes into contact with. When I trim the stem and root ends, I use a cutting board that can go in the dishwasher for easier cleanup. This is why I don't peel them until after they're cooked; not only is it easier to peel them (the skin just slips off), but you don't make as much of a mess. Even so, I try to peel them over the sink and put them directly into their serving bowl.
Don't worry about overcooking
Don't worry about leaving the beets on the grill too long. Beets are almost impossible to overcook. Now, if the grill is too hot, you may burn the outside of the beets. That's OK. If you burn the outside, peel the burnt part off with the skin.
Orange or Yellow beets are training wheels for beet haters
Try the orange or yellow beets if you're beet-phobic like I am. I'm not sure why, but they don't bother me as much. (I think that deep purplish-red color reminds me too much of beets from a can. Yuck.)
What to Serve with Grilled Beets
Grilled beets are a great side dish for any long-cooking grill recipe. I love them with butterflied chicken, rotisserie rib roast, or even a large grilled tomahawk steak. And, if you have a large grill, you can make grilled green beans in foil as another easy side dish.
Print
Grilled Beets in Foil Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 beets 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Grilled beets in foil. Beets in foil are a simple side dish if you already have the grill fired up.
Ingredients
- 6 medium beets (between the size of a baseball and a golf ball)
- A sprig of fresh thyme (optional - you can substitute any fresh herbs you have on hand)
- 1 tablespoon of Olive oil
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Wrap the beets in foil: Scrub the beets to remove any dirt that is still stuck to them. Trim the root and stem ends of the beets. (Leave the skin on, we'll peel it off later.) Put the beets in a line on a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (We want the sides of all the beets exposed to heat, so line the beets up in a single file. Make more than one packet of beets (if needed) to fit on your grill.) Add the thyme sprig, then fold the foil over and crimp the edges to cover the beets tightly.
- Prepare the grill for indirect medium heat (350°F): Set your grill up for indirect cooking at medium heat, about 350°F. For my Weber Summit, this means turning the two outer burners (burners 1 and 6) to high and leaving the middle burners unlit. In a charcoal grill, push the coals to one side (or use charcoal baskets).
- Grill the foil-wrapped beets: Put the foil-wrapped beets over indirect heat (over the unlit burners or the side of the grill without coals). Cook with the lid closed until the largest beet can be pierced easily with a skewer, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the thickness of your beets. (I use the pointy end of my digital thermometer for this, and I poke right through the foil into one of the beets. I'm not checking the temperature; I'm checking that the probe pushes through the beet without any resistance.)
- Clean and serve the beets: Remove the foil pouch from the grill and let it rest for 10 minutes to cool down. Open up the foil and peel the skin off of the beets using paper towels. (Wear gloves to keep your hands from staining with beet juice). Cut the beets into halves or quarters, depending on their size. Put the beets in a serving bowl; I'll drizzle them with a little more olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper over them before serving. Enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → - Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
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My other Grilling Recipes
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Katie says
How about grilling beets over a gas grill wrapped in foil? I know to cut off the ends and wondered if I should peel them ahead of time.
Mike V says
Follow the instructions above - the beets in the pictures were cooked on a gas grill, and are easier to peel after they are cooked.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Thanks for the idea!
guest says
Use salt to clean up your beet juice.... off your hands and your cutting board!! Works like a dream.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Thanks for the tip!
Melissa says
Try slicing them into coins and then grilling. It cuts down on the time and tastes just as great.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Oh yes, it is. But a $79 charcoal kettle can cook just as well, if you know what you're doing.
vlizzle says
You lost me at your over $2,000 grill - must be nice
Julie in Colorado says
Mike - love your site, lots of great ideas here. Have you tried cooking the beets in the pressure cooker? about 10 - 15 minutes 15psi and quick release to check doneness. Like your wife, we love beets in our family and cook them every week when in season. I'll try the grill method, but i'm pretty impatient! 😉
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
No, I haven't used the PC with beets. Thanks for the tip, I'll give it a try.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Yes, keep the vent open! You'll smother the coals if you don't.
As for the beets...yes, the take a long time to cook. I try to get smaller beets to keep the cooking time down. I go by "can I pierce them with a knife" more than the cooking time.
Shawn says
The beets were delicious (despite the fact that I didn't cooking them long enough)! They were on the grill for 60 minutes but they definitely needed more time. As I transferred from the grill to the oven, one foil pouch broke open and beet juice went everywhere. The kitchen looked like a crime scene. I'm a little embarrassed to ask this but am I supposed to close the vent on the top of my Weber Kettle grill while I'm cooking? I've always left the vent open but I fear too much heat escapes? What is your standard charcoal grill vent procedure?
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@Peahioi:
No, I missed something. A couple somethings. I copied the basic directions from my grilled sweet potato recipe, and, well, cut and paste will be the death of me.
Thank you for letting me know, and check the recipe now...
Peahioi says
"Sweet foil pouch"???
'Thickness of your sweet potato'???
Did I miss something here???
Dave from the Left Coast
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@rhonda
I'd cook them at 400*F for the same length of time - 45 minutes to an hour, until they can be pierced easily with a skewer or paring knife.
If you're cooking them with something else, use the temperature for that item. You can go as low as 325*F, and as high as 500*F; just adjust your cooking time with the temperature.
As I said in the notes, beets are hard to overcook, so always err on the side of cooking them a little longer.
Good luck!
MikeV
Anonymous says
Mike,
This is timely! I have a few huge beets that I needed to cook. Like Diane, I LOVE Beets!
I am going to use the oven instead of a grill. What temp and time should I use?
rhonda 🙂